yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[G1 Apps and Games] bluxxt:
Same here on MIUI rom for desire.

Solved the problem with an adb push of the hosts file directly in System/etc...
[G1 Apps and Games] Vinsane:
Are the host files still being updated? It seems touch and go...sometimes it works..

and other times it doesn't.

Even in the same apps.

How do I figure out what IP the ads are coming from from different apps?

I'm still a noob to all this...please be gentle :p

Oh yeah ... rooted G2
[G1 Apps and Games] sl8125:
I have a little problem with xda dev app. When reading post there is a circular ring appears where the ad use to be. It goes round and round and it won't stop. Any suggestion?
[G1 Apps and Games] lehaman310:
I have removed AdFree since it blocks a website that I use. I deleted Ad Free and it still blocks that site. I have tried deleting the host file in /etc/system/host but it does not seem to be deleting correctly and it still blocks ads. What app can I use to delete the host file so I can have an Ad-Filled browsing experience.

Edit: I'm on a samsung Epic
[G1 Apps and Games] Izzysoft:
The application itself is nothing than a tool that replaces the hosts file - so uninstalling the app still leaves you with the replaced file. On the other hand, you should not simply delete the hosts file, as that will render parts of the system unusable. You must rather replace it by the original file. As far as I remember (I do not use Adblock, it does not even work on my Wildfire - so I must guess from what I remember having read) Adblock keeps a copy of the original file in place, renamed to something like hosts.bak. It must at least contain an entry for the address 127.0.0.1 pointing to "localhost".

Next question is where to place the file. It usually is located in /etc/system, as you pointed out. Make sure it is there, and your ROM does not use a different location (for some things this sometimes is the case).

Last thing is - I'm not sure of this - the system could have kept a copy in cache/RAM, in this case your changes will take effect after a restart.
[G1 Apps and Games] JackTheGreat:
Working like a charm for my HTC desire HD. Thanks! ;)
[G1 Apps and Games] ORam78:
All you have to do to get your original host file is revert back to the original by clicking on the revert button on your adfree app. Then uninstall the app if you dont want it. That easy.
[G1 Apps and Games] adamforeman:
BUG REPORT: Version 0.4.10

Device: HTC Desire HD (Rooted/S-OFF)

ROM: LeeDr0id 1.2 HD

When running the application I receive the following error after it finding new updated hosts file.

"Error

Error processing command!"
[G1 Apps and Games] ZINXYX:
Hi,

I downloaded and installed on my Wildfire. Couldn't update host. It has left my phone horribly slow and mostly unresponsive. I have followed advice from here by tapping revert to go back to original host file. Each time it gets stuck on ' please wait reverting to original host file'. Somebody please help me to sort this out. I'd rather have an ad filled but quick and responsive phone.

Thanks

Edit: phone is back to original responsiveness after deleting app and rebooting countless times.
[G1 Apps and Games] hoppi05:
Hi all I think I posted this in the wring thread but this is what I put anyways

Guys this is also failing on my Desire too? rooted for ages always used LeeDroid but just moved to OD 4.0.36 and i get the same errors as some of the other users - "Failed to replace your hosts file. Effor Message:" ???

i have done a restore from my old titanium bkup and still it will not update? could this be rom related or an app issue? very strange it works on some and not others? as i said this has always worked perfect on my old leedroid rom?

hope a fix can be put in place soon as i cannot stand the adds :rolleyes: does this need to be installed as a system app with the ROM?
[G1 Apps and Games] wasnt:
This app is awesome! tyvm
[G1 Apps and Games] wheelconnector:
Could you go into more detail on how to do this?
[G1 Apps and Games] mrvogl:
Im temp rooted with my g2 and adfree filters the ads the first time I run it after install. When I reboot it stops working. It tells me my host file is up to date, but I have to uninstall adfree then reinstall and run it again. Simply reloading the host file doesn't work, I have to uninstall and reinstall, seems strange, any ideas?
[G1 Apps and Games] carlowahlstedt:
In having the same issue with the update. Is there a solution other than manually updating the hosts file?
[G1 Apps and Games] xfbo:
Man, I want one hour of my life back.....

I downloaded this moronic app this morning, not only does it not work but it also force closes and reboots if I try the BTC option.

The developer then redirects us for 'help/faq' to this freaking thread where not even ONE post provides us with directions on how to actually use the damn app.

Pathetic......end of rant, now slipping into flameproof suit before the thread hob nobbers self implode all over me.

Normally not an ass about this crap but I'm seriously annoyed I had to go through 40+ pages of nonsense without ONE freaking how-to........

Oh and wanna know the funniest part in all this? Just for sh!t & giggles I look up on the market for any 'related' apps and found one called AD Blocker (trial) and you'll never believe it......IT WORKS! First try, seriously. LOL! I'm not digging the blank white or black banner tho so I wont be buying it,........but it WORKED!!! lol You cant make this **** up.
[G1 Apps and Games] shokwaav:
lol that's because the app does not need a how to.... ROOT --> INSTALL APP --> DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL HOSTS --> RESTART

how hard can it be?
[G1 Apps and Games] xfbo:
Wow, that's all? :p

Well then, the app is even worse than I originally thought....lol......it doesn't work on my first gen Evo. The App wont update my host file in it's default setting and FC's with the occasional automatic reboot if you switch it into the second setting (BTC).
[G1 Apps and Games] old_dude:
Droidwall will block all ads on any and all apps that don't need an outside connection to function. Just blacklist the app in question and !poof! no more ads.
[G1 Apps and Games] sl8125:
Okay I don't understand the app. It does work. It's got rid of all ads. However now I have this annoying circle where the ads were located.

Do any of you know how to get rid of the circle? Very annoy.
[G1 Apps and Games] fixxxer2008:
adfree does not seem to be working at all on my evo. seems it just says connecting to update hosts file forever.
[G1 Apps and Games] guizmogwai:
It seems that i have the same problem... looking for hosts never ends ...
[G1 Apps and Games] bogo_mips:
Uber hosts file

Hey

If you are not getting any luck with AdFree, I made a hosts file merger that you can use to merge a number of hosts files, with info on where to get the various hosts files, and instructions on how to apply it (manual method - requires rooted phone).

There is also a link to a fresh merged hosts file I did yesterday, which you can download and apply.

http://mathdotrandom.blogspot.com/2010/12/block-ads-on-pc-android-with-uber-hosts.html

You can use the hosts merger app to make your own, clean hosts file whenever you want!
[G1 Apps and Games] quadratic:
Anyone know what's new in 0.4.11? I wish Google would make the "recent changes" field mandatory.
[G1 Apps and Games] PacoBell:
Seriously, WTF? Just post the changelog, people. All y'all devs need to be a bit more professional. Have some pride in your work!
[G1 Apps and Games] quadratic:
Now it just went up to 0.4.13 Still no changelog. Sigh.
[G1 Apps and Games] gimpfenlord:
my DesireHD starts freezing very often after using that ****ing app!!

/Ragepost
[G1 Apps and Games] mrvogl:
I'm temp rooted with my g2, the app works, but I have to reinstall the host files daily even though the app says I have the latest and I'm good to go. The ads come back so I run it again and away they go. Any idea why its temporary? Also what are the other bubble options and the bottom ck mark for?
[G1 Apps and Games] demanzke:
Desire HD, Android Revolution HD 2.0, I'm always getting "Error processing command" error when downloading hosts and can't find ANY help/solution in the forums.

Could someone please help me?
[G1 Apps and Games] madman0241240:
Could you make an app to remove ads for non rooted phones

Could you make an app to remove ads from non routed phones

Thanks
[G1 Apps and Games] dtr145r:
not blocking ads?

I just updated my host file today and adfree isn't blocking the ads anymore... wtf
[G1 Apps and Games] gpz1100:
dtr145r, what does your hosts file look like?

If it's just 20-30 bytes, then something is wrong and your file has not been updated. If in doubt, attach it to your reply as a .txt file. Typical hosts file i've been downloading so far is ~500-700K depending on where it originated from.
[G1 Apps and Games] Taomyn:
I just installed 0.4.13 on my rooted Galaxy S with Android 2.2.1 and get exactly the same issue. It seems to only get a partial file and stops at around 400k :( Luckily the Restore options seems to be ok at reverting it the original file.
[G1 Apps and Games] dtr145r:
hey man i figured it out. i reinstalled that app and redownloaded the host file and it works again.

thnaks
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Currently AdFree is, well, free. At the same time the number of Android devices and ROMs keep increasing and it's becoming a rather expensive hobby, and becoming more difficult to keep up under these circumstances, and to be able to keep up with all the various devices we're going to need donations to be able to cover these costs.

Also the increasing number of users is starting to use quite a bit of bandwidth, to help cover these costs we're thinking about introducing a subscription service where people could go to a website (yet to be coded) and be able to customise the block list, this would allow you to include additional host names, or exclude host names. A monthly subscription would also go a long way towards paying for someone to give express support services to those having trouble.

We're also looking into being able to customise the background colour of ads for specific host names, although that's still on the wish list and we don't have any code written yet.

All current features will be unchanged, although using our server URL may be limited in future to subscription users as this too is adding to bandwidth costs, we're not looking to extort anyone into paying for something, but the bills do need to be paid some how, although donations to help cover bandwidth wouldn't be rejected either :)

To donate, you can do this via the donation page on our website: https://www.bigtincan.com/donation.html
[G1 Apps and Games] t140568:
AdFree all the way. Ooh, a donation page... brb...

Sent from my NookColor via the XDA app.
[G1 Apps and Games] xxbeanxx:
I love this little app but the newest update doesn't work for me anymore.

I have an HTC legend with S-ON so I can't update /system/etc/hosts using the app. There used to be an option to symlink the hosts file to /data/data/hosts. I did this by entering recovery mode and creating the symlink so the app would work fine.

However now that option is gone and when I try to update my hosts I get an error saying /system/etc/hosts could not be deleted and recreated. :(

Does anyone have a solution to this? If not does anyone know where I can find older versions so I can downgrade?
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Just a few comments about comments on the MarketPlace, oh and I can only understand/speak english so I'm not able to read the non-english comments...

Some people have suggested having S-ON (security on? not sure, as I'm not familiar with this) will cause booting to loop apparently, you need to be in S-OFF mode...

People that still see ads, this is tricky as you can some times pull host names from logcat, for those wondering about logcat look for a copy of 'adb' or 'adb.exe' and then run it in logcat mode. I wonder if it's possible if a log could be enabled to keep track of the host names looked up and the app that requested them, that would make it pretty trivial to figure out host names to be added to the block list. Alternatively I wonder how hard it'd be to add some IPtables rules to do this, anyone have any experience with this?

As for those saying it doesn't work on cyanogen mod, this is the only ROM I test on, and have the latest stable build, however I only have a HTC magic which isn't the latest or greatest so other phones that have more memory might need some tweaks added to the app to be more compatible with other ROMs.

As for not blocking ads on apps, this isn't something that can be done by using the hosts file to block ads, you are limited redirecting connections to specific hostnames.

Controlling things via iptables is the kind of thing I'm looking into with respect to setting up custom blocking options, but this would be a value add option available to those that get a subscription.

Did I miss anything else commonly commented on?
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I don't tend to keep previous builds, however I didn't think this option was of use to anyone so I removed it, will add it back in since it was useful after all.
[G1 Apps and Games] quadratic:
Is there a changelog anywhere? I'm glad to see that you've used the "recent changes" field for this latest update, but we have no idea what was changed in the previous builds.

I've seen quite a few complaints about this here and in the Market comments.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I was posting an update type change log to the BTC forum at one point, long before Google added this feature, in fact I didn't even notice it until people started to complain about it missing in a previous update.
[G1 Apps and Games] gpz1100:
What's needed is a firewall type app (which i have no doubt already exists in some form or other for the android form). When an app attempts to use network resources, a popup comes up asking permit/deny. Similar to a firewall on a pc in interactive mode.

The problem comes arises when the app attempts to connect to a web server using port 80 for its normal function, but also to get ads. The firewall needs granular control on a per/app/site bases.

Since the firewall is running in the background, that will put additional load on battery. Is it worth it? For now I'd say no. Using hosts should block the majority of unwanted network use.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I think you'd find most people don't want to be bothered with popups, they just want it to work. Yes there is a firewall app, but it's pretty time consuming to try and config everything up.

This would depend on which iptable modules are included in the ROM, iptables can be very powerful and configurable as to what it can do.

I haven't bothered to check, but I doubt using iptables with a simple block config would use up too much CPU because it's built into the core OS and the OS already needs to do something useful with the packets anyway.
[G1 Apps and Games] gpz1100:
DF, so what you're saying is the firewall app needs to make use of the iptables module already present in the OS as opposed to an actual 'app' running in the background. If that's the case, I understand this now.

Besides manually creating these rules (I remember doing something similar when I rooted my wrt54gl router), is there an app that will generate the said rules and inject them in the proper place of the rule table?

Edit: Just saw you touched upon this in post #424. Becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the subscribed threads on here :)
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
The last time I used such an app I had conflicts with tethering apps which also make use of iptables. So you need to keep reloading things which becomes somewhat annoying.

As I said before, people, and I include myself in that, want things to just work.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I'm about to push out a new version which adds this feature back in, but I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to make it smarter this time, although I've bound to have broken something else in the process, although I've tried to test things as throughly as I could.
[G1 Apps and Games] steve.garon:
I love addfree. It makes angry birds run smooth ;p

But since a couple version the layout is broken when I open the app the controls appear on top of each other. Could you fix that please? You must have a bug in your xml layout...

Im running Nexus one with cyanogen latest stable..

Thx

Steve
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
What version are you running?
[G1 Apps and Games] kzakhar:
Unfortunately, the latest update doesn't work on Desire with CM 6.1.1, with symlink option checked or unchecked. Same error as before.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
What error?
[G1 Apps and Games] kzakhar:
"Failed to remove /system/etc/hosts so it could be replaced. Error message:"
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Hmmm it shouldn't be trying to remove that if you ticked the symlink check box. Will look into it.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Do you by any chance have a phone that can only create a symlink in safe mode?

If so you need to manually add your own symlink and then things should work for you.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
After playing about some more, I don't think iptables will be useful for discovering host names being looked up, however cyanogen ROM comes with tcpdump, so for those trying to find ad host names, use the following command on your computer:

adb shell "tcpdump -i tiwlan0 udp port 53"

Then run what ever app is showing ads and send me the host name and I'll add it to the DB.
[G1 Apps and Games] rori~:
latest update gives me an error:

"Failed to remount system partition read-only."

N1, CM 611
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Well that's a bizare error, since it should be able to do that just fine if it could mount things rw in the first place, must some weird out by one type error.
[G1 Apps and Games] rori~:
Bizare right..just latest update.

Will reinstall and see..

Sent from my Nexus One
[G1 Apps and Games] K Dotty:
It used to work but now all the ads are showing everywhere. When I press download and install it says error processing command. LeeDroid DHD
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Try clicking the revert button and then download afterwards...
[G1 Apps and Games] :
I've been hit by the new bug, too. On my HTC Desire with LeeDroid 2.3b, AdFree was working until I got an update notification from the market today. The installed update was 0.4.20 despite the AppBrain page states 0.4.16 as latest version. I immediately got the mentioned error "Failed to remove /system/etc/hosts so it could be replaced. Error message:". The text ended here. No chance to scroll to read the rest of the message. Tried uninstall, reinstall and reboots to no avail. Even tried the symlink option which I've never used in the past. Obviously, something in 0.4.20 is seriously broken. :confused:

Equally bad: when I click "Revert", I get the error "Failed to revert your hosts file, the 'echo' command seems to be missing.". I've never got this kind of error in the past.
[G1 Apps and Games] spuniun:
I'm not getting any errors using NXSenseHD 1.00-GAMMA but I noticed that I'm getting ads in a few apps now. NinJump for one example.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Any chance of running the tcpdump and letting me know the host names?
[G1 Apps and Games] :
I just discovered that there is a new LeeDroid 2.3d with "AdFree hosts update fixed". :rolleyes:

Will check it out ...
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Was it something I did, or something they did, or are they simply including an older version?
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
Just uploaded a build with debugging turned up to max, although you need to run adb logcat to view the output.

Also if you don't need the hosts file in /data/data/hosts don't enable the symlink option, this seems to cause more problems than it fixes.
[G1 Apps and Games] :
Sorry, I cannot tell. Didn't find any details. :(

However, I've upgraded to LeeDroid 2.3d meanwhile and reinstalled AdFree once again from AppBrain, this time 0.4.25 (man you are fast!). Now everything is working normal again. :)

Would have been interested in which side was to blame anyways. :cool:
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
It's not about blame, but trying to help each other out to for mutual benefit.
[G1 Apps and Games] K Dotty:
The same message comes up when I press revert. I noticed all of the adds after the update I installed from the market
[G1 Apps and Games] :
Of course. Dont't get me wrong here: I'm not literally trying to blame someone and I really appreciate your work. The few moments without AdFree in place really made me wonder if I would have gone for an Android phone in the first place if I did not know before that an ad blocker does exist. ;)

I just wondered what went wrong ... maybe you can talk directly to the maker of LeeDroid ROM to sort things out on a way more advanced technical level than humble observations from us users in here? :rolleyes:
[G1 Apps and Games] kzakhar:
The latest version available to me on the Market is currently 0.4.25.

My current setup:

1. HTC Desire with CyanogenMod 6.1.1

2. hosts are already in /data/data/hosts

3. /system/etc/hosts -> /data/data/hosts

AdFree doesn't work and says "Failed to remove /system/etc/hosts so it could be replaced. Error message:" regardless if the symlink option is enabled or disabled.

Here's how I made it work:

1. Installed AdFree 0.4.25

2. Let AdFree download new hosts to /sdcard/hosts and give the above error

3. Rebooted to recovery mode (ClockworkMod 2.5.0.7 in my case)

4. Mounted /system, /data and /sdcard

5. Connected via USB, started adb shell from PC

6. Removed /system/etc/hosts symlink to /data/data/hosts

7. Renamed /data/data/hosts to /data/data/hosts.bak

8. Copied /sdcard/hosts to /data/data/hosts

9. Made a new symlink from /data/data/hosts to /system/etc/hosts

10. Unmounted /system, /data and /sdcard

11. Rebooted normally

Now AdFree is able to download updated hosts and replace them with symlink option unchecked.

Upd: and there are no ads in apps, of course.
[G1 Apps and Games] rori~:
Sorry, figured it out - this had nothing to do with your app :)
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
The current version doesn't try to wipe out the symlink if the symlink option is unticked, but it should also work with how you describe it with the symlink option ticked.
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I can only conclude that the /system partition is locked as rw, rather than set to ro which is why the first remount command succeeds.

I've disabled the ro remount as a failure as this was just my effort for the app to tidy up after itself, but all the actual work should be done before this step.
[G1 Apps and Games] xxbeanxx:
I just got the latest version from the market (v.0.4.26), the one with the symlink option readded in.

However I still get the "failed to remove /system/etc/hosts" error whether or not I have this option checked.

I have /system/etc/hosts symlinked to /data/data/hosts. /data/data/hosts is owned by root:root and chmod'd to 644, which should be fine, right?
[G1 Apps and Games] Taomyn:
I still can't get this to work on my Galaxy S (2.2.1 with Voodoo) - I get an error and when I look at /etc/hosts it's always a partial file :confused:
[G1 Apps and Games] delta_foxtrot2:
I'm about to put out version 0.5.0 this version makes a few major tweaks to how things work and while I've tested it quite a bit, I expect that the changes will break on at least one ROM, or at least that's what I've come to expect, since they all seem to do things just slightly different from each other, C'est la vie...

One other small thing, I'm getting a warning in the Android Market about this build is for touchscreen phones, however the only way to get rid of it, and so people without touch screens (Are there any non-TS android devices with access to the Market?) can download it is to switch from making 1.5+ builds to 2.1+ builds. From what I've seen of the stats released by Google it seems most people accessing the Market are mostly 2.1 and 2.2...